JuJu Smith-Schuster Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster tied Travis Kelce for the target lead (8) in Sunday's loss to the Colts, tied Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the reception lead (5) and paced the team with 89 receiving yards. He remained close to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman in routes: 35 for MVS, 33 for Smith-Schuster and 28 for Hardman. Valdes-Scantling drew 7 targets for the 2nd straight game, while Hardman garnered just 1. QB Patrick Mahomes spread his attempts around less than in the Week 2 win over the Chargers. With Hardman back healthy -- he was in and out of the Week 2 contest -- WR Justin Watson played just 10 snaps; Skyy Moore 8.

After a strong Chiefs debut last week, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster mustered just 3 catches for 10 yards in Thursday night's win over the Chargers. His 3 targets tied for 5th on the team and were just 9% of the team total. He ran a route on 79% of pass plays after posting an 80% route rate in Week 1, so this was just a matter of not drawing targets. Smith-Schuster remains a fantasy starter going forward, but he figures to be inconsistent on a Chiefs offense that is intent on spreading the ball around.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce edged WR JuJu Smith-Schuster for the Week 1 target lead, 9-8, with WR Mecole Hardman checking in 3rd (with 6). It was WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, though, playing more snaps than any offensive skill player besides Patrick Mahomes. MVS edged Smith-Schuster by 1 route and Kielce by 2, according to Pro Football Focus. Hardman checked in 4th in that category, with the rest of the team far behind. Valdes-Scantling might well remain behind Kelce and Smith-Schuster in target distribution. But his 5.5-yard Week 1 average depth of target suggests he won't merely be the downfield player he was in Green Bay. (MVS' ADOTs with the Packers went 13.8, 16.6, 18.2, 18.2.) Keep MVS in mind more than you would most WRs who open the year with 4 targets and 2 other significant receiving threats in the lineup.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) put in a full practice on Wednesday. It's confirmation that he's ready to rock for Sunday's opener vs. the Cardinals.

The Athletic's Nate Taylor believes Mecole Hardman will open the season as the Chiefs' #2 WR -- behind JuJu Smith-Schuster but ahead of Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore. "Because he’s the fastest in the group and has been in the Chiefs’ system the longest," Taylor writes. We'll be keeping a close eye on the route and target counts in this group early in the season. But Smith-Schuster will be the only reliable Week 1 fantasy starter.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was back on the practice field Monday. He missed a little over a week with what the team called a "sore knee." But, barring a setback, he should be ready to roll for the start of the season.

ESPN's Field Yates reports that the Chiefs and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster have adjusted the wideout's contract to double his per-game roster bonus from $30,000 to $60,000. Smith-Schuster signed his original 1-year deal before the team traded WR Tyreek Hill to Miami, so clearly he has gained value to the Chiefs simply because of that move. This seems like a relative good-faith gesture: We'll reward you better if you produce. We're not sure there's any projections adjustment needed on this news, though.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid didn't sound concerned about WR JuJu Smith-Schuster's sore knee and expects him to be ready for the start of the season, according to insider Herbie Teope. Smith-Schuster has been sidelined since the day after Kansas City's preseason opener but recently "turned the corner" in his recovery, Reid said. We'll keep an eye on JuJu but haven't adjusted his 2022 projections.

Chiefs WR JuJu Smith-Schuster missed several practices this week with what the team deemed a "sore knee," according to Chiefs Wire. HC Andy Reid said Thursday that Smith-Schuster is progressing, though it seems unlikely he'll play in Saturday's 2nd preseason game. We'll keep an eye on the situation beyond that, but the issue doesn't appear serious.

The Athletic’s Nate Taylor believes JuJu Smith-Schuster has been the Chiefs’ best WR in training camp. Taylor describes the former Steeler as “a smooth route runner who has been consistent.” There’s some post-hype appeal to JuJu, who turns just 26 in November. Given the lack of proven targets in Kansas City, WR2 totals are well within his range of outcomes.

Chiefs starters played 1 possession in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the WRs with 11 snaps, followed by Marquez Valdes-Scantling (9), Mecole Hardman (4) and Justin Watson (1), according to Pro Football Focus. Skyy Moore did not get onto the field with that unit. We'll see how that usage pattern develops through the preseason.

Per NFL insider Albert Breer, the Chiefs have seen a “more mature version” of WR Mecole Hardman this offseason. Breer writes that Hardman “had a lot of growing up to do coming into the NFL,” even beyond his rookie season. It’s a huge year for the 24-year-old, as his contract is set to expire in 2023. But following the additions of Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster, it’s clear that Kansas City isn’t expecting a major leap from the incumbent.

Per Nate Taylor of the Athletic, the Chiefs believe rookie WR Skyy Moore “can excel as a secondary slot receiver behind Smith-Schuster and be a possible deep threat on the perimeter in one-on-one matchups.” Moore’s undersized — both in height and wingspan. But he brings blazing speed and quicks and sure hands. Marquez Valdes-Scantling profiles as the field-stretcher with JuJu Smith-Schuster working the short to intermediate routes. Moore’s usage figures to be diverse in an offense that lost 260 targets with the offseason departures of Tyreek Hill, Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson. The rookie is battling a minor hamstring tweak at the moment, but there's no cause for concern.

Former Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster announced Friday that he's signing with the Chiefs. He should face little competition -- at least among what's currently rostered -- for the #2 wideout position. That hasn't been a high-upside role with Andy Reid's Chiefs, though. No K.C. WR besides Tyreek Hill has finished higher than 47th in the PPR rankings since 2015. That #47 finish came last year from Mecole Hardman, who should lose some target share to Smith-Schuster. WR Byron Pringle's departure for Chicago leaves some targets available, but he drew just 8.9% of the looks last year. We'd bet on Smith-Schuster overtaking Hardman as the team's 2nd-most targeted wideout. The landing spot should boost the average target depth for Smith-Schuster after that number dwindled to 5.5 and 6.5 yards the past 2 seasons. He was at 8.8 and 9.7 his 1st 2 years in the league. The Chiefs also like to move their WRs around. So we'd bet on Smith-Schuster coming down from the 80+% of time he spent in the slot the past 2 seasons. He's also likely to jump up the ADP charts with the K.C. landing, so be wary of overpaying in best-ball drafts going forward.

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) is active for tonight's Wild Card game vs. the Chiefs. We'd be surprised if he played anything close to a full slate of snaps in his first action since early October.

The Steelers have activated WR JuJu Smith-Schuster from IR, making him eligible to play in Sunday's game against the Chiefs. He had previously said he'd take part. It's tough to know just how much we can expect, though, from a guy who is coming off October shoulder surgery. Smith-Schuster is no more than a fringe fantasy football consideration for what will likely be Pittsburgh's lone playoff game.